Data Sources and Methodology
Facts checked against sources on . How we check facts.
Every number on this site should trace to a document you can open. We use statutes, regulations and government notices first, agency statistics such as the U.S. Geological Survey's Mineral Commodity Summaries second, and company releases and press reports only when nothing better exists, in which case the Sources list says so. Each page shows the date its facts were last checked and each Sources list shows the date the documents were read.
February 2026
edition of the USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries used for 2025 production, trade and price data
Source: U.S. Geological Survey
October 12, 2026
latest date on which one of the four official critical minerals lists was checked against its primary source; the earliest is October 11, 2026
Source: This site's list data file
4
official lists kept in one data file, so a list change is made once and shows on every page
Source: US, EU, Australia and Canada
Which sources do we rely on?
The table sets out the source types in the order we prefer them, with the limits of each.
| Source type | Examples used on this site | What we use it for | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Statutes and regulations | 30 U.S.C. 1606; 10 U.S.C. 4872; Regulation (EU) 2024/1252; Regulations (EU) 2017/821 and 2025/1561; Directive (EU) 2026/470; Public Law 119-21 | Definitions, dates, thresholds and dollar amounts. | Law changes; we record the date read. |
| Official notices and agency pages | Federal Register; MOFCOM announcements; WTO dispute pages; Australian Department of Industry, Science and Resources; Government of Canada and Natural Resources Canada | Lists, export controls, funding programs, legal status. | Some sites time out or block automated readers, so we read them in a browser; Chinese notices are read in the original language. |
| Agency statistics and studies | USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 and Open-File Report 2025-1047; European Commission Study on the Critical Raw Materials 2023; U.S. Energy Information Administration; World Nuclear Association | Production, reserves, end uses, prices, recycling and criticality scores. | USGS figures marked estimated are estimates; different studies cover different years and define terms differently. |
| Company and research releases | MP Materials and Lynas results; SNE Research cathode and anode rankings; UN Global E-waste Monitor | Company output, market shares, waste volumes. | Company figures are the company's own; we label them. |
| Press reports | Trade and business press | Only when no primary document is available. | Named in the Sources note as a press report. |
How do we check a page before it is published?
We follow the same steps for every rewritten page. We read the cited document, not a summary of it, because search summaries and secondary articles have contained details that the cited page did not support. A figure that could only be read in a press report or a search summary is flagged or left out. Calculations, such as a producer's share of world output, are marked as our arithmetic. The review date at the top of a page is set only after the page's facts were checked against sources on that day, and the list pages read from one data file whose verification dates are shown above.
What happens when we find an error?
We correct the page and change the date its facts were last checked. Errors found when this site was rewritten included the EU's list review interval (every three years, not four), the fact that the United States has removed minerals from its list before, and the date China announced the suspension of its October 2025 rare earth measures. To report an error, use the contact form.
What are the limits of the site?
The site explains markets and policy; it does not give investment advice. Prices shown for minerals are references, and a dealer price is always shown as a separate, labelled figure and never as the market price. The EU, U.S., Australian and Canadian lists are described as each government publishes them, and we do not create our own criticality ranking.
Is the site independent of the metals it discusses?
The site's owner also runs EarthRarest, a business that supplies gallium, germanium, hafnium, indium, rhenium, terbium, dysprosium, neodymium and praseodymium. Links to EarthRarest appear only on pages about those metals and on rare earth guides, through a labelled quote box, and not on pages about lists, policy or geopolitics. The EarthRarest list prices shown on mineral pages are labelled as dealer prices.
Frequently asked questions
Where does the production data on this site come from?
Mostly from the U.S. Geological Survey's Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, which report 2025 estimates and earlier years. Uranium comes from the World Nuclear Association, and some EU supplier shares come from the European Commission's 2023 criticality study.
What does the review date on a page mean?
It is the date we last checked the page's facts against its sources. The Sources list at the bottom of each page shows the date the documents were read.
Why do some figures differ from other websites?
Sources define terms differently and cover different years. Mine output, refined output and processing shares are different measures, and USGS marks many 2025 values as estimates. We state the source and year beside each figure so you can compare like with like.
How do I report a mistake?
Use the contact form on this site with the page address and the correct source. A confirmed error is corrected on the page itself.
Sources
Read on October 13, 2026. Figures on this page come from these documents; where a number is an estimate, the source says so.
